Nashville Fertility

Egg Freezing

Who should consider egg freezing?

Science has yet to figure out how to stop a woman’s biological clock, but it’s found the next best thing—egg freezing. It is a form of fertility preservation at our Nashville fertility center. It involves retrieving a woman’s eggs, freezing them and storing them.

More women are postponing motherhood until their 30s and early-40s, Fertility preservation allows women to extend their childbearing years by preserving their younger, healthier eggs. The team of board certified reproductive endocrinologists at Nashville Fertility Center™ has extensive experience in fertility preservation. Our team educates women about their fertility and offers options such as elective egg freezing.

The ideal age for egg freezing

A ticking biological clock is the primary reason women choose to freeze their eggs. A woman’s fertility peaks during her 20s and starts to decline once she reaches 30. In fact, by the time a healthy woman reaches age 30, her chances of conceiving each month she tries is 20%. Once she reaches her 40th birthday, that percentage plummets to 5%. Women who are waiting to achieve personal or professional goals before achieving motherhood can turn to egg freezing as their fertility safety net.

Women who are at risk of premature ovarian failure (the loss of ovarian function before the age of 40) due to a family history of early menopause, can also benefit from egg freezing.

When is the best time to freeze eggs?

Egg freezing has the highest chance of success when it happens at an early age. It should happen preferably before the age of 34, and no later than 37. Younger eggs are typically healthier. They can also withstand the freezing and thawing process better than older eggs.

Is it successful?

Advances in cryopreservation methods in recent years, has resulted in improved egg survival and pregnancy rates. Our Nashville fertility center freezes eggs using vitrification, an ultra-rapid cooling method that uses high concentrations of a cryoprotectant. Due to the high water content of eggs, this prevents damaging ice crystals from forming.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) found that 92.5% of vitrified eggs survived thawing. When compared to vitrified versus fresh eggs, there were no significant differences in fertilization rates (74% vitrified vs. 73% fresh), implantation rates (40% vs. 41%) and pregnancy rates per transfer (55.4% vs. 55.6%).

Contact us to learn if you’re a good candidate for egg freezing.

(615) 321-4740